1893
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Washerwomen is a 1893 by Auguste Lepère, a Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
The painting shows two women carrying laundry up some steps from a boat on the Seine River. These women are doing hard work in a dirty environment. The river was a place where people threw waste, making it hard to keep things clean. You can learn more about the use of light and dark in this painting by looking into the technique of chiaroscuro.
Here, Auguste Lepère presented a pair of laundresses ascending steps from a wash boat on the Seine River, where they could pay to clean the loads they had collected. A receptacle for various types of waste, the river was a source of public concern for the unsanitary environment in which laundry was done. Lepère evoked these difficult working conditions by juxtaposing a youthful laundress with one who has spent time in the industry. The figures’ mirrored poses and their contrasting bold and muted tones suggest the passage of time as they carry out their work—a message emphasized by the…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Louis-Auguste Lepère (30 November 1849 – 20 November 1918) was a French painter and etcher. Lepère is also considered a leader in the creative revival of wood engraving in Europe.
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